


Ramen Lovers (Naruto)

by YuYiKenopsia



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blood, Experimentaion, F/M, Fluff, NSFW, Orochimaru is a dick, Romance, Smut, Tail Kink, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 19:03:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11237265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuYiKenopsia/pseuds/YuYiKenopsia
Summary: Seraphina Pheles, the victim of an experiment fusing her own genes with a demon's, meets a certain hyper-active knucklehead ninja after escaping from the man who had kept her prisoner for years. Will Naruto be able to save her from the darkness of loneliness that he himself once endured?





	1. Chapter 1- The Creation of the Stars

Air. Fresh air. The first time I'd felt it in years. I wanted to stop and enjoy it. I wanted to breath it in and look around, enjoying the sight of trees and grass and dirt after the years of nothing but cold and damp darkness, but I couldn't. Not now.

I was running. It was hard but I was. The nip of the chilly night air burned my cheeks and the very tip of my nose. I hadn't ran in years. There's no need for running when you've been tied up in a basement for years. This basic human function that most all can do, was one of the hardest things I had ever done. My wobbly legs had barely any muscle on them due to years of very little activity. They had hardly anything on them at all. My sickly body could barely hold itself up. It was weak because it was eating itself up, slowly but surely, from the inside out. That's what happens when you starve to death. You're body begins to tear itself apart.

The wound from my stomach caused my vision to fade in and out due to blood loss. The wound was deep and fresh so it bled heavily, but I couldn't stop running. I couldn't stop to bandage it, and even if I did it wouldn't do any good. I needed immediate medical attention to live and it didn't help I was running which only put strain on the injury.

Practically starved to death, muscle atrophy due to confinement, blood loss due to a stomach wound, and on top of all of that, I had to run. I had to run because I was being chased.

I whipped around to look behind me, but I didn't see them. My head spun into darkness at the quick movement before gradually bringing itself back. My feet began to slow significantly as the blood loss reached a dangerous state. It felt as though there was more blood outside of my body than in it. My eyes could barely hold themselves open. Feet stumbling across the dirt road, I pushed on. I knew I didn't have long.

Should I just give up? What's the point in trying to escape? He'll never stop looking for me, I'm far too "valuable". I probably don't even have ten minutes to live, so why not lay here for those last few moments? I wouldn't have anywhere to go even if I miraculously survived. No one left alive to go on for. Now that I'm free of him, I could finally give in. I could finally stop holding on. I got my taste of freedom, my breath of fresh air.

Deciding to die on my own terms, out in the open, I stumbled not ten more paces before laying down on the cool dirt road. As I laid there on my back, looking up at the sky, I was able to feel at peace for the first time in years. The stars winked from their vast cold blanket of night and I was overcome with a memory of before. Before I was subject to the abject horrors of being confined and experimented on. Before I was so wrongly torn from freedom's grasp.

Around this time of night, several years ago, I laid looking up at the very same stars. I sat in the lap of my father as he placed his chin on top of my head gently. I smiled brightly, wanting to know more about these twinkling lights in the sky. "Hey, daddy?" My tiny voice broke through the serene sounds of the night.

"Hmm? What is it, darling?" My father mumbled looking up at the stars with me.

"Where do stars come from?" My questioning eyes bore into my father's face. His warm and gentle eyes looked down to meet my questioning stare.

"Well-" He began before a tranquil voice sounded behind him, interrupting his explanation with their own.

"Well," began my mother as she sat next to me and father. She reached for the hand that my father didn't have wrapped around my waist, tangling them together gently. "A long time ago, there was a woman who wished to change the way the people of her time were living. There was constant chaos and disorganization among her village because no one knew what the laws were. Deciding to find a way to make it so that all the people of her village could read the laws and follow them diligently, she decided to write the laws in the sky with her jewels. She gathered them all on a blanket and went outside to write the laws on the blank night sky. As she wrote, a coyote came up to her and asked why she was tacking up the sky with her jewels. She told him her plan and he asked to help her. The process of writing all of the laws was slow and tedious and the coyote quickly grew restless at how long it took. 'What is the point of writing all of these laws anyway?' The coyote asked. 'It will bring order to my village.' Replied the woman. The coyote grew tired of this task and tossed her blanket up into the air. 'What have you done?' The woman gasped looking at the jewels now strewn across the sky with no clear pattern whatsoever. She knew the damage done was unfixable and that she must find another way to write the laws." My mother completed her story smiling at me gently. My five year old mind accepted all that my mother said as truth and my eyes sparkled with the excitement of finally knowing the origin story of the stars.

"Don't go filling her head with false information." My father chuckled gently. "The stars are giant balls of gas billions or trillions of miles away from earth. Up close, they'd look something like our sun. After all, the sun is a star. It's the closest one to us." I thought for a second before looking up at my dad with unsure eyes.

"I liked mommy's story better." I stated matter of factly. My father paused for a moment before laughing along with my mother.

"Oh yeah? You like mommy's story better, huh?" He chuckled standing up suddenly, grabbing me before I fell off of him. I squealed excitedly as he spun around making me dizzy. He eventually stopped and kissed my forehead gently smiling down at me contentedly. "Well, I think I do too."

I came out of the memory with my eyes slightly watering. I didn't hurt anymore. My body seemed to have lost it's feeling for the time being. I no longer had to worry about those evil men, or pain, or anything. I could join my parents among the stars. I heard a pair of footsteps slapping quickly on the dirt. They seemed to be coming closer and closer to my position, but my eyes wouldn't stay open anymore. I caught a flash of orange just before my heavy eyes closed for what I thought would be the last time.

~3rd POV~

"Come on guys! You're so slow!" Came a scratchy yet not unpleasant voice. The boy the voice belonged to seemed very impatient with the slow pace the other three were taking. His blonde spikey hair bounced as he ran in front of them. He walked backwards while talking to them, hoping to speed things up a bit. "I want to get back to Konoha so that I can get some ramen at Ichiraku's!" He whined to his three completely unamused companions.

One of them, a girl with long pink hair, finally got fed up with his hyper-active behavior. "Ugh, Naruto!" She growled running up to him and hitting him on top of the head. "Put a sock in it!" She yelled.

"Hey, why do you always have to be so mean, Sakura!?" Naruto yelled back at the pink haired girl, pouting slightly. The oldest member of the group, a man with most of his face covered by a mask and headband, was unconcerned by their little confrontation. He chose to instead continue reading his book that depicted a man chasing a woman on the front. The last member of the group, a boy with black hair and an annoyed look on his face simply let out an indignant 'hmph' looking away from the scene. All four of them wore headbands with a symbol resembling a bird's head.

Naruto continued walking forward with both hands rested against the back of his head. He looked out ahead and noticed something laying on the road in front of the group. "Hey guys, what's that?" He asked pointing up ahead of them as they got closer to the indistinguishable shape on the road.

The man reading finally looked up from his book at that, squinting his one eye to try and figure out what the shape was that they saw. The man finally noticed that the shape was surrounded by a puddle of dark red blood. His visible eye widened as he ran towards what he now realized was a young girl, around the same age as the others in his squad. The others followed quickly behind him.

When they reached the figure, they all crowded around the girl, unsure if she was still alive or not. Naruto noticed, with some surprise, that she had a peaceful look on her face. The masked man reached down and felt for a heartbeat. For a moment he felt nothing, but then, a faint and slow but steady thump could be felt every so often.

"She's still alive. Sakura, find something to tie off the wound with. Sasuke, take a look around and see if someone is still nearby, this is obviously a knife wound." The man gave out orders to Sakura and the black haired boy. Naruto reached into his bag producing a small first aid kit.

"I have this." He handed it to Sakura who nodded quickly, pulling out gauze and an alcohol wipe. She first cleaned the area before wrapping it up. Sasuke returned shortly reporting that he saw no one nearby. "Kakashi-sensei, what do you think happened to her?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Their sensei replied cooly, able to stay level headed in the situation. "What I do know however, is she needs immediate medical treatment. We're almost at the village, let's hurry." Kakashi leaned down to pick the girl up gently, not wanting to stir her from her unconscious state. The girl squirmed in his grasp, not seeming to like the idea of being held, even in her sleeping state. Kakashi had to put her back down she was squirming so badly.

"Argh, we have to be able to carry her! She won't get help unless we can!" Naruto yelled. He felt unusually upset by this thought. Of course, he'd be upset at that thought for anyone, but for some odd reason, he felt even more panicked for this girl. Although she was a mess and looked sickly due to being severely underfed, Naruto still thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and yet, he didn't know why he was having these thoughts at a time like this.

Desperate to get her help, he tried scooping up her diminutive body himself. Her weight, or lack thereof, surprised Naruto. Even though he could see she was severely underweight, he didn't expect her to be this light. No struggling, no squirming, nothing. In fact, she snuggled closer to Naruto in her sleep. Kakashi eyes the girl and then Naruto before giving the command to head out.

They jumped from tree to tree quickly, with Naruto in the front clutching the girl tightly to his chest. We aren't far from the village now, Naruto thought to himself, just hold out a little longer.

VERY IMPORTANT: The story of the stars comes from an old Navajo folktale. I did not create it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not quite sure what part of the show I want this story to take place in, but I know it'll start in Naruto as I haven't seen Naruto: Shippuden yet. I know, I know, I'm behind. I'm on season three of plain 'ol Naruto but I think I'll have this start off in season one. Maybe as they're on the way back from their first big mission. The one with Haku and Zabuza? It'll go over the span of the show of course. It's not gonna just stay in season one so I'm sorry for any spoilers in advance. Also, my veterans (those who have read other books of mine), if there are any, already know this, but I'm completely unoriginal and uncreative about main characters. Same name, same powers. The only different thing is background and to an extent personality. Sorry about it but whatever.


	2. Chapter 2- The Truth Revealed... Well Sorta

I was surrounded by darkness. It felt like I had been there for years. Everything was cold and empty, and u felt numb. I didn't feel like I was floating on top of something, rather floating in the absence of anything. Is this what death is? Just endless floating in darkness?

A small sliver of white peeked through the all encompassing blackness. The light grew and I realized I was opening my eyes. They were heavy and stuck shut from what seems to be a long sleep.

Suddenly, I was pulled out of that dark place completely. I could feel the aching pain from the wound in my stomach. I could see the white walls and white floors, the white bed and white door, the white table and the orange jacket. Wait, orange jacket?

It was then that I noticed the orange jacket was connected to a person. A boy that looked about my age with spikey blonde hair, laid curled up in one of the chairs with his eyes closed. Who is he? Come to think of it, where am I? A hospital obviously, but shouldn't I be dead? I debated waking him up for several minutes. I also debated jumping out the window and running away.

While I weighed the pros and cons for both scenarios, I studied him. I know that it's creepy to watch people while they sleep, but for some reason I couldn't tear my eyes away. It was like I was drawn to him. I studied his features and wondered why I felt this way about someone I had never met before.

I had completely forgotten about weighing my options of either escape or acceptance, but it seems that the universe took care of it for me. The boy let out a little groan while shifting in his sleep before his eyes fluttered open, immediately meeting my own. Striking blue eyes blinked at me slowly, obviously still waking up. I let out an audible gasp as I looked into his eyes. Looking into his eyes was exhilarating. It made my heart rate speed up and my face feel flushed and I didn't even know why. His widened as well but I didn't know if it was because I was awake or if he felt the same as me. No, there's no way that's the case.

"H-hey." He mumbled, still staring intently at me whilst I did the same. The sound of his voice sent shivers down my spine. He finally blinked a few times which broke our trance. His face slowly split into a large grin. "Hey! You're awake." He jumped out of the chair and walked closer to my bed. I still laid down frozen with shock and very confused at where exactly I was. "Oh man, you've been out for forever you know." He smiled so brightly that I couldn't help but return a small one of my own.

"Don't go telling her that, Naruto." My head snapped to the doorway and I sat up quickly, realizing how much of a mistake that was the second I did it. I groaned in pain and clutched my stomach gently. The man who seemed to be the owner of the voice had one visible eye that widened as he realized what I had done. He reached out nervously towards me, clearly concerned with how quickly I moved with my current ailment. The blonde boy also seemed concerned as he reached for my shoulder with one hand and the back of my head with the other. The second our skin made contact, tingles were sent all across my body. I looked up into his eyes in surprise and I noticed the heavy blush on his cheeks. He laid me back down gently.

"You shouldn't move like that already. It's only been two days." Naruto mumbled, the much more contained blush still resting on his cheeks as he pulled away from me. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with a fierce determination now.

"I'm very sorry that I startled you." The masked man spoke in a very soothing voice as he walked further into the room, standing at the foot of my bed. Two others walked in behind him. A girl with pink hair and an annoyed looking boy with black hair that poked up at the end like the backside of a duck. "Oh! Before we get anywhere we should introduce ourselves." The man seemed to notice my confused face. "I am Kakashi, squad leader of these three."

"I'm Sakura." The pink haired girl stated in a chipper voice. "It's nice to meet another girl my age." She giggled.

"I'm Sasuke." The duck-butt boy said and left it at that.

Everyone paused for a second, waiting on Naruto to introduce himself anamatedly per usual, but nothing came. He was staring hard at the floor with a barely there blush still dusting his face. "Um, that's Naruto." Kakashi supplied for him, his eyebrow scrunched up to signify his confusion. Naruto was always very talkative and excited. Everyone in the room was probably expecting the usual, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be the next hokage. Believe it!"

"Huh?" Naruto's head shot up and he met Kakashi's eyes. Spacing out? That's pretty unlike Naruto unless he's supposed to be paying attention to something important like class work, Kakashi thought to himself.

"What's up with you, Naruto?" Sakura began questioningly. "You're acting weird." Even Sasuke looked at Naruto with confusion.

"W-what do you mean!?" Naruto yelled. "I'm fine! Honest." His eyes were wide as he tried to cover himself. He's a terrible lier, I quickly realized.

Right when Sakura was about to speak up and accuse him of lieing, a nurse walked in the door after a quick knock. She smiled warmly yet lingered by the door. Something seemed a little off about her expression, like it was forced. "Hello Ms. are you feeling okay?"

"Uh, yeah." I paused to clear my scratchy throat before beginning again. "Yes, I'm fine thank you." My throat felt sore after days without water or use. Realizing this, Naruto picked a glass of water from the side table up and handed it to me. I smiled up at him gently in thanks and sipped the cool liquid that immediately soothed my aching throat. He smiled shakily in response.

"I'm very glad to hear that! Well, we just need to get some information on you, I'm afraid, since no one here knows who you are." The nurse continued, taking a few hesitant steps forward. Why did she seem almost afraid of me?

"Sure, I understand." I nodded gently.

"Well, for starters, what's your name?" She questioned. I set the glass of water back down as she talked.

"Seraphina Pheles." I stated casually.

"Okay, thank you Ms. Pheles." She nodded while writing on the clipboard she held in her hands. "Next, how is it that you got that wound of yours?" She looked up from the clipboard to give you her full attention.

"I was walking along the road when three drunk men came up to me and tried hitting on me. I tried to fend them off and when I did, one of them stabbed me." I lied through my teeth, trying to look upset like the (non-existent) memory was hard to relive. There's no way I could tell them everything that's happened to me. If I did, they wouldn't want me here, I'm sure of it.

"I see." The nurse scribbled quickly to get in the whole story. She seemed hesitant to continue. Her fingernails tapped gently on the clipboard that she held tightly in her grasp. "Um, just two more questions. When we had to change you out of your clothes into something more comfortable, we noticed that you have, um, what seems to be... a tail?" She ended the last two words in a question. My eyes widened and I let out a gasp. They changed my clothes? Does that mean that they've seen the other things I keep hidden as well? Not even counting the things all women have. Looking around the room for both people's reactions and a quick escape route to get myself out of this situation, I noticed that the others shared the same wide eyed look. Even Naruto finally met my gaze again with shock evident on his face.

"Well, that's sort of a long story." I laughed nervously. "You see, that's the result of an experiment conducted on me." Well at least I was truthful about this part, but to be honest, that's only because I couldn't conjure up an outrageous lie to cover it up.

"What sort of experiment?" Kakashi asked with curiosity shining in his eye.

Ah shit, I was hopping I could leave it at that. I suppose I've already told them the truth I might as well continue to do the same. "An experiment merging my genes with that of a demon's." Figuring the others in the room that hadn't seen it were curious, I sat up with some difficulty a pulled my tail out from under me. It looked like your stereotypical demon tail. Long, skinny, black, except instead of a little triangle point at the end, it was more like a small tuft of fur. I didn't want to look into their eyes. I already knew what I'd find. I was a freak of nature. Scary, unpredictable, evil, demonic.

"Woah! That looks cool, actually. Do you think I could touch it?" Sakura asked, surprising me greatly. My head shot up in surprise, my mouth hanging open. I never would have dreamed that I would have gotten that reaction. Was she just messing with me?

"I'm sorry but I don't really think so. A demon's tail is sort of... sensitive." That was an understatement. A demon's tail is extremely sensitive, that's why they keep them wrapped up out of harms way and I do as well. Sakura looked kind of disappointed but smiled anyway, showing that she understood.

"One last question." The nurse spoke up again. "Where did you get all of those scars? More specifically, the two on your back? Along with the other, older looking, injuries?" I immediately closed off. I didn't even let myself think of a cover before replying sharply.

"Quite frankly, that's none of your business. It has nothing to do with my current medical predicament." My cold tone shocked even me. It was an understandable question, there was just no way I was going to let them know my past like that. The faces in the room looked kind of embarrassed for being put on the spot like that which made me feel bad. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap." I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck.

"That's okay. I suppose it isn't really our place to pry. After all, we're only supposed to be concerned with your medical care. It's really Lord Hokage that should be asking you those questions." The nurse smiled gently, still looking a little awkward and afraid. "Also, it's time to change your bandages so if you don't mind, could you lean back?" I did as I was asked and figured it was my turn to ask questions while she worked.

"Why would the Hokage need to know that stuff?" I felt my old bandage being removed and I reached for the water again, taking deep greedy gulps. It's been a long time since I've been able to just have water laying around that I could drink whenever I wanted.

"Well, if you want to stay in the village, we have to be able to trust you." Kakashi answered for the nurse. "We can't just let anyone in willy-nilly."

"Who said I wanted to stay?" I spoke up. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Naruto's expression change from shocked to determined to forlorn all in the span of about a second. I didn't really have anywhere to go, but I still didn't know if I wanted to stay here. "I mean, I don't know anything about this village." The nurse had finished changing my bandages and all, and sat back to look at me.

"Well, it's completely your decision of course, but you should really consider it. Konoha is a lovely village. You should at least look around a little bit when you're better." The nurse smiled. "Well, I should be on my way. Thank you for your time. I'll be back to check on you later." Her heels clicked on the floor as she made her way to the exit, sliding the door closed behind her. The other four stood in silence for a bit before Sasuke decided to leave without saying a word, much to Sakura's dismay.

"Sasuke wait!" She called out, following after him, leaving just Kakashi and Naruto.

"I really should be taking my leave as well." Kakashi pulled a book out of his pocket and opened to his page and waved at me, giving me a smile. "I'll be back to visit soon." He disappeared before I could even process that he was leaving. Now it was only me and Naruto again.

"So, hi... Naruto." I spoke up shyly. I swore I saw him shake when I said his name. Maybe he's afraid of me. I would understand if he was. Although, for some reason, the thought really upset me.

"Hi, Seraphina!" He seemed much different now, like he had very suddenly lost his shyness. I remember Sakura saying he wasn't acting himself, maybe he was just feeling weird and is now back to normal. Now that I was back to giving him my undivided attention, I couldn't help but noticed how much I adored the way he said my name. It just sounded so right coming from his lips. It spread a warm feeling throughout my body from my head to my toes.

"So, um. I don't really like hospitals and I feel okay." I began, a plan formulating in my head. I don't know why I'm even including him. I could have just told him to leave and then left through the window. Maybe it's because he knows his way around the village so he'll be able to help me escape. Yeah, that's it. "Are you down for helping me bust out of here?" I grinned cheekily. To say he looked surprised would be an understatement.

"I don't know about that." Naruto trailed off nervously. "You're still injured. You need medical help. What if moving too much reopens the wound?" I pouted slightly giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

"Please, please, please, Naruto!" I begged him, knowing that with a little prodding I could get him on my side. Naruto blushed and looked to the side, scratching his neck but I didn't let up. I reached for his hand and held it tightly which made his eyes meet mine. "Please, Naruto." He let out an annoyed noise between a groan and a growl before leaning over and scooping me up in his arms bridal style. "Naruto?" I questioned, my eyes widened and cheeks darkened.

"What?" He mumbled, trying to play it cool. He walked over to the window and opened it, climbing onto the windowsill with me still in his arms. Realising that we were several stories up my stomach dropped.

"Actually, I don't think this is a good idea." I snuggled deeper into his chest, trying to get away from the six story drop. "We can't jump from this height!"

"Who said anything about jumping?" He asked tilting forward. I squealed, clutching his orange jacket fearfully. His grip on me tightened and I realized the we weren't falling, but when I opened my eyes, I was looking right at the ground. "Pretty cool right? I just learned a few days ago. Chakra control. I can walk upside down on things if I want to." He let out the most adorable giggle and walked straight down the building. I laughed along with him, feeling safe in his arms even though I still didn't like the height.

"Oh, damn." I muttered when we reached the bottom.

"What is it?" Naruto asked looking down at me and then my stomach, worried.

"Don't worry, nothing serious." I smiled gently and he relaxed. "It's just that... I forgot my clothes." I realized I was still in hospital attire. I tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably, laughed loudly and buried my face in his chest as he followed suit, still holding me tightly in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know that they're falling very quickly and I don't normally do that but there is a reason I promise. We'll get there ;). Also, her tail is a lot like Rin Okumura's from Blue Exorcist so if you've seen that then there ya go. If you haven't... watch it it's so good lol.


	3. Chapter 3- Busted and Big Decisions

"So, this is your favorite restaurant?" I asked Naruto. He had taken me to Ichiraku Ramen and was currently on his third bowl, happily stuffing his face full of noodles, after climbing back up and getting my clothes, of course. Once he did, he had realized that the clothes were already old and worn, but to top it off, covered in blood. Which is why I was currently wearing that bright orange jacket of his on over my blood stained shirt.

"Mhm." He mumbled with ramen hanging out of his mouth. "Yeah it's the best! Ramen is my absolute favorite." He grinned happily. He swung his feet back and forth while he sat on his stool. He looked at me for a moment seeming to have suddenly realized something. "Hey, aren't you gonna get some?" He questioned curiously. Honestly, I wanted to desperately. I was so hungry but I didn't have any money, obviously. What way would I have to make money trapped in a basement? There's no way I would ever ask him to get me some though. We had just met and even so I don't ask people for handouts.

"No, I'm fine. I'm not that hungry. You just eat enough for the both of us, okay?" I gave him a fake smile. He studied me for a minute with narrowed eyes before snapping back to the front.

"Hey, let me get another bowl." Naruto continued eating his third as his fourth was on the way. Once the ramen was finished and set in front of him, he simply slid the bowl in front of me and continued eating. I looked down at the bowl in shock and my stomach growled but I wouldn't eat it.

"Why did you put this here?" I looked at Naruto curiously. He paused from eating his ramen and looked at me.

"It's for you, of course." He stated. "I won't except the whole 'I'm not hungry' excuse. This place is the best and you haven't eaten in days." He turned his whole body towards me obviously waiting for me to take the first bite. I'm sure that he also noticed how underfed I looked but didn't want to say that.

I hesitantly looked down at the bowl of absolutely delicious looking ramen. Naruto reached forward and grabbed some chopsticks out of the container and handed them to me. I broke them apart and grabbed the first bite of noodles. The second the noodles hit my tongue my eyes widened and it took everything in me not to grab the bowl and poor the whole thing down my throat. I haven't had anything like this in years. Not since I would have dinner with my family. I looked over at Naruto eyes still wide as I chewed. He giggled and turned back to his own bowl resuming his progress. I finished my bowl in record time and I noticed another one being placed in front of me. I looked up curiously at the man running the shop.

"It's on the house. You're a first time customer." The man smiled and resumed doing his duties behind the counter.

"Thank you. Both of you." I smiled at both of them, touched by their unwarranted kindness. The man just waved his hand dismissively and Naruto blushed a little and smiled.

"So, Naruto, why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?" The man behind the counter asked. Naruto practically spat his noodles out everywhere. His face darkened into a heavy blush and he waved his hands out in front of him.

"N-no, she's not my g-girlfriend!" He yelled nervously as the man smirked at him. Naruto continued trying to make it obvious that we were not dating. Would it really be that bad to date me? I mean I guess so. I'm severely underweight, dirty, wounded, weak, and not even pretty. I haven't gotten a haircut in years and I'm just lucky that he let me brush my teeth and take occasional baths. Naruto seemed to notice my depressed look as he stopped talking suddenly. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked reaching for my shoulder gently. I pulled away just before he reached me and he looked kind of hurt. He retracted his hand and put it in his lap firmly.

"Yeah I'm fine, why?" I perked up giving him a rather fake smile. He frowned and opened his moth to say something, but was cut off before he could.

"Just what do you two think you're doing?" I heard a familiar voice behind me and slowly looked Naruto in the eyes with terror shown plainly on my features. He looked even more scared than I was. We both slowly turned around in our chairs to come face to face with the man who instilled so much fear into our hearts. Kakashi. His eye was squinted in annoyance and he had his hands on his hips with his book in one. His whole body radiated vexation. "You," he began, pointing at me, "are supposed to be in the hospital, and you," he pointed at Naruto, "helped get her out didn't you?" We both chuckled nervously, rubbing the backs of our necks. We looked like mirror images, action-wise anyway.

"Heh, well, you see..." Naruto trailed off looking at me to come up with an excuse. I looked back at him in shock. I didn't know what to say either!

"We were hungry!" I continued laughing nervously. Naruto gave me a 'really?' face as did Kakashi, and I simply shrugged.

"I see... well, Lord Hokage visited your hospital room, only to find you missing. He wishes to speak with you." Kakashi stated before turning around and walking away. "I expect you can find you're own way? If not, I'm sure Naruto would be happy to take you." He called over his shoulder.

"Uh, yeah." I responded weakly. He didn't even give me time to ask why the Hokage needed me. After a moment of silence, Naruto stood up and offered me a hand. After pulling me up he began walking towards the direction that I knew the hospital to be in. "Hey, Naruto?" He hummed in response. "What does the Hokage want with me? Do you know?" I looked over at him.

"Oh, sure! He has to do this with everyone who enters the village. Especially those that stay here to make sure they aren't against our village." He smiled down at me.

"But I still don't know if I even want to stay here." I trailed off. Naruto looked at me surprised before quickly catching himself.

"Oh, yeah. Sure that's right." He smiled but when he thought I was no longer looking, I saw him frown lightly at the ground. Seeing him sad like that made me think about whether I did want to stay here or not.

It's true that I didn't have anywhere else to go, but as I was escaping from my own personal prison, I was planning on moving from place to place so that he could never find me. I knew he'd come looking for me and the place he finds me at will be in danger too. I didn't want to endanger this little village because it seemed so lovely. All the people I've met here seem so nice and I couldn't bring my self to risk their safety for my happiness, but there was the subject of Naruto and my inexplicable pull towards him. The very thought of leaving him made me sick to my very core which left me dumbfounded. Why did I care so much about this boy I just met? What is it about him that's do alluring? I don't understand because I don't make attachments like this. It takes me a long time to really become attached to someone and yet here comes Naruto, immediately gaining the utmost affection from me. 

Perhaps for now I'll stay here. If only for a few weeks. Maybe this feeling will go away in a few days time. Maybe this will be my first stop of many like I'd been planning. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll find an actual home for the first time in seven years.


	4. A Long Talk

We eventually reached the hospital that I had just escaped from and stepped inside. I walked up to the lady at the front desk with Naruto trailing behind me. "Excuse me, ma'am." I leaned against the desk as I spoke. The woman looked up, acknowledging that she heard me. "What room is the Hokage in? He wanted to speak with me."

"Oh, let me see..." She flipped through a book lying on her desk. "Room 405." She smiled politely at me.

"Thank you." I smiled in return before walking towards the stairs. I looked behind me to make sure Naruto was still following and saw that he was still at the desk, staring off into space. That boy, I chuckled to myself. I walked back over to him and grabbed his wrist, startling him out of his trance.

"Oh! Sorry." He said blushing slightly as I dragged him back down the hall with me. I smiled back at him and he returned it.

I wonder what kind of questions the Hokage is going to ask me? Will he even let me stay now that I've decided I want to? What's he like? Is he nice? Mean? I don't know anything about him. I was dreading this conversation for multiple reasons. One, the unknown factor of what the Hokage is like, and two, the fact that I'll have to tell him everything. Maybe I could lie again? That's not a very good idea. I think I'll tell him the truth to whatever questions he asks me but only that. I won't elaborate on answers unless he asks me to, and I'll only tell him what he needs to know. If I lie to him he might find out and then I'm gone for good.

Naruto stopped suddenly, and because my hand was still on his wrist, I was pulled back as well. I let out a noise of surprise and almost fell into him, but he caught me by the shoulders before I could. "Sorry. What is it? Why'd we stop?" I asked him curiously. He looked at me seriously for a moment before responding.

"You don't need to be worried about meeting old man Hokage." What? How did he know what I was thinking about? "He's pretty cool. I'm sure he'll let you stay, and if he doesn't, I'll convince him. Believe it!" He smiled and let out that adorable giggle of his.

"Wha- How did you know that I was...?" I was still dumbfounded. I didn't think I was showing any nervousness on my face.

"I don't know actually. I just kind of... sensed it?" He shrugged. We both paused for a moment, trying to figure out how he knew. "Ah, whatever. Let's go!" He grabbed my hand and it was my turn to be the blushy one. He pulled me along to the fourth floor and we eventually reached the door to the room. "Well, here we are!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yep, here we are." I muttered, much less excited than him which he picked up immediately.

"Do you want me to stay in there with you?" He asked me worriedly. "I promise he's not bad but I'll still stay if you want." I felt my cheeks heat up again and smiled at him. How come he just met me but he still is worried for me? I haven't felt cared for in so long that even the slight bit of worry that he showed meant the world to me.

"No, I'll be okay I think. Thank you so much though." I pulled him into a tight hug that surprised both of us. He blushed heavily and his hands stayed by his side awkwardly for a moment before wrapping them around me. He held me just as tight as I held him and buried his face into my neck. After being alone for so long it felt nice to have a moment like this. A moment of happiness. Physical contact that was caring instead of abusive or cruel. For some reason, it seemed like he felt that way too. We both pulled away at the same time and looked at each other awkwardly. "Well, I should be going in now." I clasped my hands together nervously.

"Oh, yeah. Right." He nodded stiffly. I awkwardly opened the door to my hospital room,looking behind me before I shut the door. Naruto stood waving at me with one hand resting lazily on the top of his head. As the door shut with a resonating thud.

"Hello. You must be Seraphina." I heard an unfamiliar voice behind me and I turned around. I was met with the sight of an older man wearing the traditional Hokage clothing. He wore a little bit of makeup around his eyes. A popular thing among ninjas it seems. "Well, don't be shy, come on in." He was sat down in one of the waiting chairs with two ninjas at his side. I walked up and stood in front of him with my hands clasped behind my back, attempting to look professional while wearing bloody ripped clothes that haven't been washed in ages, and Naruto's jacket over top.

"You wished to speak with me Lord Hokage?" I kept a poised and calm exterior but I was still very nervous on the inside.

"Please, take a seat. And no need for such formality, really." He waved his hand dismissively as I sat in a chair opposite of him. "Naruto has a good sense of judgement and so I already believe that you're probably a good person." He chuckled.

I looked at him, confused before I realized he was talking about the jacket. I subconsciously wrapped it tighter around me. "Oh, this is just because my current clothes aren't really decent." I blushed. I wish I would have been informed that I was meeting with the Hokage a little bit before so that I could've found some clothes.

"Well, I'll make sure you get a new outfit." He smiled at me and all my nerves about this guy melted away. What is it with the people in this village? They're all so kind. How could I ever think that this man would be mean?

"No, that's not necessary. I'll get something myself." I didn't want to be a bother to anyone.

"Well, that's just too bad because I'm getting you one anyway." He smirked, shrugging slightly. "Consider it a welcome gift into our village, even if you're stay is temporary. Which we still have yet to decide." He leaned back into his chair and rested his hands in his lap. I still sat very stiff in my uncomfortable hospital chair. "Well, first question: why did you have that wound in your stomach? And don't lie to me." He looked at me acsusingly.

"It was from a man." I skirted around the topic incredibly hard. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to continue. "Uh, a man who kidnapped me. I got stabbed escaping." His eyes widened in surprise and he looked kind of sad for me.

"Why did he kidnap you?" He sat forward in his chair, staring intently at me.

"I don't know."

"Okay. Next question, where'd those scars come from? Him?" I nodded in response. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's fine really. I'm out now so..." I trailed off and scratched the back of my neck.

"Right. Let's just be thankful for that. Next, you told the nurse that your tail came from experiments? Could you elaborate some more on that?"

"Sure." I rubbed my hands together nervously before continuing. "Well, the man who kidnapped me did all sorts of experiments to merge me with a demon. He would drain the most amount of blood I could take before I would die, and then fill it back up with the demon's. He even gave me one of it's kidney instead of my own. Eventually my body just began excepting the blood and changed my body to accommodate it. Now I have a tail."

I left out a lot. There were other experiments, more cruel. Especially after he succeeded in making me a demon. Demon's have higher regenerative abilities than humans do so he liked to try and see just how much better theirs was. He'd stab me and leave me to heal myself, he'd cut off toes just to see if they'd grow back, he would slice off large chunks of skin and see how long it would take to grow back. He was really twisted. He also liked to test how far my mind could go before it was broken.

"So, is that the only demon related thing you have?" He continued.

"No." I stated after hesitating a moment. Should I even tell him this? Now I'm regretting my choice to not lie.

"So then what else do you have?" He seemed interested and even a little on edge. Obviously he was concerned that I would attack the village which I suppose is understandable.

"I have flames, wings, and abnormal regenerative properties." I stated matter-of-factly. "Oh! And my teeth and ears get pointier when I let out my flames." I remembered.

"That explains why the knife wound is healing so quickly. Are the scars on your back where the wings come out?" He leaned back into his chair again.

"Yes sir."

"Okay, final question, would you demonstrate your other abilities? Excluding the regenerative properties?" Oh man. I've never really demonstrated them before. I was always locked up so he would just make me bring out my wings or flames. He never did anything with them. He always said my spirit was too strong. That if I simply obeyed him, he would let me out and I could have a high leadership position within his ranks. "And I kind of want to see your tail. Just out if curiosity." The Hokage continued.

"Sure thing. Probably not the best idea to do it in here though." I finally agreed.

"Why?" His eyebrows bunched together.

"My wings are kind of big. They'd take up the whole room."

"Okay, we'll head out to a training field." He smiled excitedly. I waited for Lord Hokage to stand first out of respect. He stood up from his chair and I was struck with the thought of how little he seemed like an old man. He didn't stand slowly or bent over like most old people do. In fact, he seemed super in shape for an older person. I stood up after him and quickly went ahead to open the door for him. "Thank you ms. Pheles, but it'd be improper of me to let a lady open the door for me." He smiled and held the door open for me instead. I smiled warmly back at him and walked out the door.

The first thing I noticed when I exited the door was Naruto leaning up against the wall across from the door. "See! I told you old man Hokage isn't that bad!" He looked at me with a big grin. My eyes widened and I frantically waved my hands to tell him to stop. "What is it?" He tilted his head to the side. He looks adorable but now isn't the time to be thinking that, what if the Hokage heard what he said. My fears were confirmed when I heard the Hokage chuckle behind me.

"Uh, I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't mean to accuse you of being a bad man, I just didn't know what to expect is all. I was just asking Naruto-" he cut me off with a hand on my shoulder.

"That's okay. I take no offense my dear." He laughed at my concerned expression. "Now, let's go. Naruto feel free to join. As long as Ms. Pheles allows it."

"Please, call me Seraphina. And sure, Naruto can come if he wants." I turned and smiled at Naruto. His eyes lit up and he returned it full force. We started down the hall towards the exit. We reached the lady at the front desk again and I waved as we passed. She waved back and smiled at me as we left the building. The Hokage led us down the road and we trailed behind.

"Hey, did you hear what me and the Hokage were talking about?" I asked.

"No. Why?" He looked down at me. I didn't want him to know. I don't want anyone to know really. It makes me feel weak and vulnerable.

"No reason." I gave him a fake smile and he eyed me for a moment before looking back ahead.

"Sorry about earlier, I didn't see him behind you." He rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you."

"No, it's fine! Really." I reassured him. "He didn't seem to mind anyway." A comfortable silence passed over us as we walked behind Lord Hokage. I was surprised that he didn't have any body guards with him. Maybe it was because he didn't need them, or maybe it was to give us privacy.

"Hey, Seraphina?" Naruto piped up.

"Hm?" I responded lazily.

"Where are we going?" I mentally face palmed. He didn't know where we were going but he came anyway. This boy is something else.

"You'll see when we get there."


End file.
